Ch. 13 Phys. & Cog. Dev. in Early Adulthood

primary aging (senescence)

age-related physical changes that have a biological basis and are universally shared and inevitable

secondary aging

age-related changes that are due to social and environmental influences, poor health habits, or disease

disability-adjusted life years (DAILY)

a measure of the gap between a population’s ideal and actual levels of health. It is derived from the number of years lost to premature death, illness, or injury, and the number of years living with a disability. It assumes a potential life limit of 82.5 yrs for women and 80 for men

health-adjusted life expectancy (HALE)

an estimate of life expectancy at birth. It is the number of years that a newborn can expect to live in full health given current rates of morbidity and mortality

quality-adjusted life years (QALY)

a measure of how much benefit gained, and at what cost, for any particular physical or mental intervention. It provides an estimate of the time a person will live at different levels of health over his remaining years of life

limbic system

the part of the brain that regulates emotional responses

grey matter

neural tissue that is mainly made up of cell bodies, dendrites, unmyelinated axons, axon terminals, and glial cells

white matter

neural tissue that is mainly composed of myelinated axons that transmit neural signals from one neuron to another

maximum oxygen uptake (VO2 max)

a measure of the body’s ability to take in and transport oxygen to various body organs

locus of control

a set of beliefs about the causes of events

intimate partner violence

physical acts or other behaviour intented to intimidate or harm an initimate partner

sexual assault

any form of sexual acitivity with another person without his or her consent

personality disorder

an inflexible pattern of behaviour that leads to difficulty in educational, occupational, and social functioning

schizophrenia

a serious mental disorder characterized by disturbances of thought, such as delusions and hallucinations

binge drinking

a pattern of behaviour in which a man consumes five or more drinks, or a woman consumes four or more drinks, on one occasion, at least once a month over the past year

substance abuse

a pattern of behaviour in which a person continues to use a substance even though it interferes with psychological, occupational, educational, and social functioning

postformal thought

types of thinking that are associated with a hypothesized fifth stage of cognitive development

Postformal Thinking Stage

A developmental stage characterized by the ability to think critically, handle ambiguity, and consider multiple perspectives, following formal operational thought

relativism

the idea that some propositions cannot be adequately described as either true or false

dialectical thought

a form of thought involving recognition and acceptance of paradox and uncertainty

reflective judgement

the ability to identify the underlying assumptions of differing perspectives on controversial issues

crystallized intelligence

knowledge and judgement acquired through education and experience

fluid intelligence

the aspect of intelligence that reflects fundamental biological processes does not depend on specific experiences

post-secondary education

any formal education experience that follows high school

biological embedding

how social circumstances in the first few years of life result in epigenetic modifications in the brain and body systems that determine the trajectory of a person’s health through adulthood